He's All That
by DungForever5
Summary: MERTHUR in a She's All That inspired fic.
1. Take Me Back to The Start

"Arthur Pendragon!" called a voice. The sound echoed through the mic and into the field we were sitting in. The warm spring air was like a treat no one wanted to give back. Applause erupted yet again as the sexiest guy in our entire graduation class stood up and walked to the stage to get his diploma. Naked. Well not completely. He has a Rugby ball in his hands covering his crotch and his cap is on his head. I guess he should know better than to lose a bet. As he walked past me I couldn't help but giggle. Never in a million years did I think I would be dating the hottest guy in school nor that he would be so naked in public.

Let me start from the beginning. My name is Merlin. I'm your typical normal guy. I'm not super smart or creative nor am I anything special. In fact, the only thing you could even consider remotely interesting about me is that I'm the only openly gay male at my school. It's rough sometimes because I would get crap from other students. Most of the time, it's just laughter behind my back or stares. Everything was so normal until one day when my best friend Lance dragged me to the involvement fair last fall. He insisted that we couldn't spend our senior year of college uninvolved and hanging out in our rooms. I tried to put up a fight but he broke out the puppy dog eyes.

The fair was typical of college fairs. There were tons of booths all of which contained more information than any of us cared for. No one was walking around talking to us or trying to make connections. Lance grew anxious and asked me to sign up with him for some clubs. I promised Lance I would come to the fair, not that I would actually sign up for anything. When I told him that, he laughed and walked to a table to grab some pamphlets. An hour into the fair, Lance nudged my shoulders. "Hey, look who's staring." Lance guided my head towards the direction he was looking. Alpha Epsilon Theta. The most stuck up fraternity on campus. They have a reputation for being a house of debauchery. There was not a single house on campus that could beat them in terms of parties or even events. AET was the most wanted fraternity on everyone's list.

I laughed at Lance as he continued to pretend not to notice their staring. It wasn't until their blonde president gave me a nod that I snapped out of it and smiled awkwardly back. He kept eye contact with me for at least two minutes. I could tell he was barely listening to anyone around him and all of his attention was on me. When I looked over at his friends, I noticed that they too started to look over at me. One of them even pointed and Arthur nodded intently. What are they talking about over there? Should I go over and say something? As I wondered all this, Lance seemed to notice himself and leaned into me. "Arthur Pendragon? Not bad!"

"What do you mean?" I asked him

"I mean he's not the worst looking guy you could have a staring contest with."

"Whatever Lance." I said as I grabbed his arm and continued walking around the fair. We were at a booth for rugby when Lance looked at me with a tired expression. He was hungry.

"Come on let's go. This fair sucks and I'm hungry." Lance said as he grabbed my arm and led me to the car. When we got to the car, I noticed that the AETs were still staring at us. Maybe they thought Lance and I were dating? If only that were the case. I'm not gonna lie when and say I never wanted to be a part of their fraternity. Who wouldn't? They throw amazing parties. Even though everyone hates them, everyone still goes to their events and stuff. The guys may not be the brightest but they are some of the sexiest guys on the entire campus. As a matter of fact, AET has never lost a single male pageant in its 30 years on our campus. The pageant by the way, so worth attending. I shook my head at this thought and focused on the road ahead of us.

A few minutes later Lance and I were at our favorite Denny's. "So are we gonna talk about how Arthur was fixated on you today at the fair?" Lance asked calmly as he waited for our server. I gave him a look of sheer shock and horror. I know he is not the jealous type but I couldn't help but feel flattered it came out that way. Lance was like the big brother I never had and he was a total sweetheart about everything. He took another look around for a server and then rested his eyes on me waiting for my answer.

"Oh god! Do you think I'm gonna be the new target for them? I don't know if I can take any beatings from those guys." I was scared. What if Arthur was picking out a new kid to torment? He is a frat guy after all, it's not like they're known to be gentle and kind. More so, I'm not used to attention. In my experience, it's better to fly under everyone's radar and not make any waves. It's bad enough that everyone knows me as the gay kid. I don't wanna be the troubled gay kid too. Lance looked at me with a soft expression on his face. I could tell he was going to do anything to protect me even if nothing has happened yet.

"Why does your mind always go to the most negative? Why can't it ever go to something positive?" Lance asked as he ordered our drinks and food. The server gave him a look and he returned it with a smile as if to say don't worry, I got this. When she walked away, he turned towards me and waited patiently for me to process his question.

"You think he wants to be friends? Why now?" I decided to ignore his questions.

"Oh my God Merlin! Who wouldn't want to be your friend?" he laughed as he said this. Lance is the only person in the world who thinks I'm cool and wants to hang out with me. I'm sure of it.

"Umm everyone." He snickered at me and shook his head.

"Okay not true. You just fly under the radar a lot." Lance took one of my hands and gave it a squeeze. I swear he is the sweetest guy I know. It makes me glad that I shared my paste with him in kindergarten. We've been inseparable ever since.

"Thanks for calling me a loser nicely." I laughed.

"You can't be a loser." his eyes were so kind. A smirk came across his face and yet again I wondered what I had done to deserve such a great friend in my life.

"Why?"

"Cause I'm your friend. Duh! Now eat up, you have a curfew remember?" We ate the rest of our meal in silence and an hour later his car was pulling out of my driveway as I walked upstairs to my room. After I changed into some pajamas, I crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep with Arthur Pendragon on my mind.


	2. Target Acquired!

It's been a week of this. Arthur looking over at me whenever we were in the same room or space. I eventually let my guard down and just assumed Arthur was observing me for some obscure reason. I was fine with it until one day in Calculus Arthur took the seat next to me. "Hey." he said calmly as if we had been friends forever. I immediately tensed up. What is this? I thought to myself. Arthur never said more than that though. For a whole week all Arthur said to me was hey and all I responded with was a nod. I tried not to dissect and analyze the whole thing. I really did! No matter how I tried though, it happened. Little thoughts crept into my head. Arthur is so attractive! Arthur is so cool! HE'S SPEAKING TO ME! These thoughts rolled out from the back of my mind and I found myself starting to change my behavior. I smiled more around Arthur and I answered more questions in class.

"Can I ask you a question?" Arthur leaned into me and whispered one day. My heart almost skipped a beat at the closeness and the seductive smell radiating off of Arthur.

"Umm yeah." I answered hesitantly.

"Are you and Lance dating?" Arthur kept his eyes on the board as he spoke. I almost blushed. Arthur wants to know about me? About my LOVE LIFE? ARTHUR WANTS TO KNOW IF I AM SINGLE?! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I was freaking out. My heartrate sped up and I swore it was going to burst out from my chest at any moment. I took a breath to calm down before opening my mouth to speak.

"Ummm Lance isn't into me like that." I said as quietly as I could. Arthur's head SPUN toward me. His eyes were focused on mine and I couldn't help but stare into those beautiful blue eyes. God he really was dreamy! "Is something wrong?" I asked after a while. Arthur smiled and shook his head before going back to writing down notes. I spent the rest of class staring at him and wondering why the sudden curiosity. What is going on? I thought.

By the time the bell rang, I noticed that Arthur was trailing behind our classmates. Usually he was the first to leave if not one of the first. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that he was leaning against his desk staring at me. I packed my book bag then got up to leave and that's when he walked over to me. "Do you need my notes or something?" I ask. I didn't intend for it to come out snarky but it's too late now. Arthur looked at me with an incredulous expression on his face.

"Why does everyone assume I'm the dumb jock?" Arthur smiled at me as he stood in front of my seat. I was cornered. Kind of. I bit my lip nervously as I stood from my seat. We were only a few feet from each other but I could feel the heat radiating off our bodies. His red t-shirt seemed so much tighter and I could smell his cologne from where I stood.

"It's not that..." I said.

"Is it the hair?" he asked almost instantly.

"Huh?" I asked caught off guard.

"You know... cause I'm blond..." he laughed. It took me a bit to respond at all since I was now super distracted by his laugh and his perfect smile. God he was perfect! "Well in either case, I don't need your notes. I came over to ask what you were doing this weekend." I swear my heart stopped. WHY DID HE WANT TO KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING THIS WEEKEND? Oh. My. God. Arthur Pendragon in his perfectly beautiful glory just asked ME what I was doing. My breathing takes a minute to slow down and return to normal.

"N-n-n-nothing." I finally manage to stutter out. Oh god! I must have sounded like the biggest idiot in the world.

"Good! So my friend Percy is having a party at his place. I thought you'd like to come." He said with a smile as he leaned back onto the nearby desk.

"Is this an invite to one of the famous Knights party?" I ask before thinking.

"What? Knights?" He asked confused. Oh crap! He had no idea. I took a breath and chose my words carefully.

"Umm yeah. The Knights is what we call you and your group. You know: you, Percy, Elyan, Gwaine and Mordred."

"We? Why call us the Knights?" He seemed very assumed by this discovery.

"The rest of the school." I said rather confidently. It took a nod of encouragement from Arthur as well as a perfectly raised eyebrow for me to continue speaking. "We call you guys the Knights because you guys all look like you could be knights. All perfect... and arrogant..." I whispered the last part and Arthur laughed as soon as he heard it.

"Well then yes and no. It is a party but nowhere near as big or famous as our fraternity parties. Anyways, it starts around 9 but feel free to show up whenever. You know where Percy lives right? It's the last house on Camelot Circle. See you later Merlin." He gives another smile as he walks out of the room laughing and shaking his head. I couldn't believe what just happened. I just got invited to a Knights' party?! I shake myself out of shock and take out my phone sending an SOS text to Lance. He tells me to meet him at his car and I immediately sprint out of the classroom to the parking lot.

By the time I got there, Lance was leaning against his driver's side door. He immediately gave me a look of concern but saw that I had no visible marks so he let out a breath. "What happened Merlin? Are you okay?" He asks all worried. He gives me a hug and I look him in the eyes.

"Lance, I just got invited to a Knights party!" I all but squeal and Lance's face takes on an expression I can only describe as not amused.

"No." He says simply.

"Umm what do you mean no? I really did get invited. By Arthur himself!"

"That's great Merlin but you're not going." Lance says as he turns around to his car. I grab his shoulder and spin him back to face me.

"Excuse me? Care to clarify?" I ask almost bitterly.

"I know what happens at those parties. You're not going. There's boys."

"Thank you Captain Obvious!" I respond sarcastically.

"You know what I mean. Those boys of AET are bad news. I don't want you getting hurt. I can't have any of them play with your feelings Merlin." Lance looks into my eyes and suddenly, all the anger I may have felt is gone. He was just looking out for me.

"I'll be fine Lance. I promise. Besides, it's not even an AET party." I soothe him.

"Fine but Morgana and Gwen are going to have to give you a crash course in how to deal with these boys. Promise?" He asks. Ugh. He always makes me take lessons on how to be gay from those sisters. We barely talk to them on a regular basis yet they seem to think that I'm their gay best friend and Lance is my pimp.

"Promise." I say as I climb into his car. "Now let's get some Taco Bell." Lance smiles as he gets into the car as well and starts the engine. We pull out of the parking lot blasting Spice Girls and I couldn't help but think that this year was going to be fantastic.

Later that day we stopped by the sisters' place and sure enough they don't even need to hear the reason. They were genuinely excited to impart their wisdom onto this clueless gay. I paid close attention as Morgana gave me fashion tips and Gwen told me everything she knew about each one of the Knights. "Merlin you can't let them know how you really feel at any given time. You have to make them work for every piece of information from you." Gwen said. Lance sat there and nodded as she spoke.

"Lance is this necessary?" I ask.

"Of course it is! You have to know how to behave around these guys if you don't want to get chewed up and spat out. Now listen to the ladies for the next hour and I'll treat you to ice cream later. Promise." With that, Lance got up and left the room.

"Where is he going?" I ask the room.

"He went downstairs to watch the rugby game. He always does that when he's here." Morgana answers without looking away from her laptop. She was doing some online shopping for me because my wardrobe was 'beyond help'. "Merlin you still live at the same place right?" She asks. As soon as I nod, she goes back to her shopping spree. How she has the money to do this, I have no idea. I look around the room and notice that Gwen is still talking to me from the white board they set up. This whole time she was talking about Percy and I tuned her out.

"Now Merlin, you'll have to start having some attitude. Fake it till you make it is the best advice I can give you when talking to these boys. Remember that flirting is extremely dangerous. THEY WILL FLIRT BACK! That's why there's such a long trail of crying girls in each of these boys wake." Gwen spoke with conviction and I listened with passing interest. An hour or so later Lance came back and grabbed me. He thanked the sisters and they cooed their appreciation as we walked back to his car.

"Let's get out of here." Lance says as we drive off. I almost didn't notice that we were driving down to the beach until the fresh salty breeze blows through my open passenger window. Lance parks where we always do and we start walking down to the water. We stop at an ice cream cart about to close for the night and Lance buys both of us a waffle cone filled with strawberry cheesecake. Sometimes I forget how amazing he is. He remembered my favorite flavor, cone preference and even paid for it all. As we sit down near the water, I look over at Lance. He was a great guy and any girl who ended up with him was going to be the luckiest girl in the world. "So Merlin do you think you're ready?" He asks and I snap out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I ask confused.

"Are you ready to hang out with those jerks?" Lance says in between licks.

"Umm yeah. How hard can it be?" I ask.

"Okay. Let's have a test run." He says with a laugh.

"What?" I ask.

"I'll be Percy. You be you." He clears his throat after taking a bite of the ice cream. "So Merlin, Arthur invited you huh?"

"Yeah." I said as strongly as I could.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" I ask confused.

"Why did he invite you?" Lance was trying to be mean on purpose. Something I don't think the other guys would hesitate to be.

"Why don't you ask him yourself and find out?" I answer feeling smug. Lance nods in approval then looks up at the moon.

"Okay that was good. Now I'll be Arthur." He says confidently. I can feel my body stiffen. I had no idea how to be around Arthur. "Great party huh?" Lance says all smug.

"Yeah." I say weakly.

"Why the lack of confidence Merlin?" He asks. I wasn't sure if he was being himself or still being Arthur but I wasn't going to cave now.

"Ummm I don't know really." I answer unsure.

"Maybe a drink will loosen you up." Ahh he was still being Arthur. Good job Lance. Almost had me there.

"Yeah that'd be great." I answer slightly more confident.

"Cool. The drinks are in the kitchen. Right over there." Lance points off into the distance and I almost punch his arm. "OUCH! What was that for?!" Lance asks me hurt.

"Arthur would never talk like that!" I responded in between giggles and bites of ice cream. "Besides, that didn't hurt."

"You're impossible Merlin."

"Whatever Lance." I say.

"Come on. Let's get you home. You have work tomorrow and I have a test to study for." Lance said has he got up from the sand and offered his hand to me. We walked back to his car laughing about his impressions and by the time I was dropped off, I felt prepared for the party in a few days. As I climbed the stairs to my room, I thought about how cool it would be to actually be at one of Arthur Pendragon's parties. I fell asleep easily that night.

The next morning I woke up refreshed. It took me a short bike ride to get to work and by the time I got to the cafe, Lance was already in his usual seat studying. He gave me a hug as I walked past him then went back to studying. I put my apron on and noticed that we were kind of short staffed today. "Where's Gwen?" I ask my manager.

"She and Morgana called off. It's just you and me today Merlin." She answered before going back to getting the machines ready. My shift went by smoothly. We barely had people today so it wasn't too bad. About an hour before the end of my shift, I saw Arthur walk in through our doors and I almost dropped the muffin I was shelving. "Merlin can you help him? I have to take care of some things in the back before your relief comes in." She left almost as soon as the words were spoken and I stood there like a deer in the headlights.

"Hi!" I greeted Arthur as he walked up to my register. "What can I get for you?"

"I didn't know you worked here!" Arthur answered.

"Yeah. I've been here since October."

"Nice!" He responds.

"So how can I help you?"

"Can I get a Mysterious Lover?" I blink rapidly.

"Ummm I'm sorry?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"It's your venti Vanilla Latte with extra caramel drizzled at the top. Extra whipped cream too if you don't mind." He laughed before answering me.

"Oh. Sorry. No one ever orders that. Yeah so your total is going to be $5. Anything else?" I ask as I punch in the order to my register.

"Nope. I'm good." Arthur smiles and I almost forget to swipe the credit card he hands me.

"Okay give me one second and I'll have your order." I say as I turn around to start making it. He leans against the counter and watches me as I mix his latte.

"So Merlin, do you like working here?" he asks.

"Yeah! It's a great place to work." I answer without looking away from my task at hand.

"That's great! I like that some people love their jobs. It makes the experience more positive for me."

"Uh huh." I agree.

"So what time are you off?" He asks as I hand him his drink.

"Actually I'm off in half an hour. Why?" I ask.

"Just wondering. Do you wanna go hang out at the bookstore across the street for a bit once you're off?" Why was he asking me do hang out with him? Before I have a chance to respond, Lance comes up to the counter.

"Actually Merlin already has plans. With me. We're going to see a movie across town." Lance shoots me a look and I immediately nod in agreement. He was bailing me out of a potentially dangerous situation.

"That's cool. Have fun guys. Merlin I'll see you Saturday yeah?" Arthur says as he leaves. I wait until he's gone then shoot Lance a look.

"What was that?" I ask.

"I was trying to help you."

"Next time, let me handle it myself. Thanks though Lance."

"Yeah you got it. Listen I have to get back to studying but I'll see you tomorrow okay?" I smile and Lance goes back to his seat and resumes pouring himself into the stack of textbooks he has open. By the time my shift ended, He was still studying hard and barely gives me a wave as I leave.

When I get home, I immediately turn on my iTunes and proceed to do some homework while Britney Spears and the Spice Girls play in the background. By the time I finish, I'm too tired to do anything else so I climb into bed and flick off the lights.

The next day, I woke up to Lance sitting at my desk. "What time is it?" I ask barely opening my eyes.

"Time for you to get ready so we can go to class." Lance answers me.

"I thought the whole point of picking our classes in college was so we could pick what classes to go to." I responded with a yawn.

"Funny. Now get up and get ready. We have class in 30." Lance walks over to me and pulls my covers off my bed.

"Ugh. Why did I give you a key?" I ask as I got out of bed and rubbed my eyes.

"You didn't. Your mom did. She thinks I can keep you on track." Lance answers me as he pushes me out into the hallway and into the bathroom.

"She's fired." I say as I close the door and turn on the shower. I wake up quickly from the cold water and by the time I finish my shower, Lance is already standing by my freshly made bed with clothes I don't recognize on my bed. "Ummm what's that?" I ask pointing at them.

"Clothes. Lance says as he scrolls through his phone.

"Cute. You're cute. No I meant that they aren't mine." I start to walk to my dresser and put on a pair of boxer briefs briefly flashing Lance my bare ass.

"Morgana got them for you. They came in this morning. Now change. Let's go." He doesn't even flinch as I walk over to him and the clothes. I grabbed the first shirt and pair of pants I saw. We walked down the stairs and out the front door saying bye to my mom on the way out. When we arrived on campus, I noticed that Lance was wearing a white button down and slacks.

"Why are you more dressed up than normal?" I ask.

"I have a presentation in speech class."

"Don't you usually go all out for those?"

"Yeah. What's your point?"

"Where's your tie, jacket and dress shoes?"

"All in here. I got tired of wearing it all day. It ruins the surprise." He answers me as he takes out his gym bag and locks the car behind us.

"Sometimes I think you're the gay one." I respond with a laugh.

"Thanks for the compliment. Be glad I'm not." He says.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because all the guys would be all over me. There wouldn't be anyone left for you." He teases.

"Conceited much?" I ask.

"Oooh the attitude! I like it!" He laughs at me as we walk into our Bio class. I don't see Lance again until he got out of Speech class three hours later and I was standing by his car. "How was Film class?" He asks me as we get into the car.

"Ugh. Don't even. We talked about Tyler Perry today. Not even the good Tyler Perry movies either. We talked about Why Did I Get Married and its sequel. I hate this class." I say as I buckled my seatbelt and Lance drives us back to my place.

"Remember when the class watched Mean Girls and you hadn't seen it before then? Hahaha!" Lance loved bringing that up. As a matter of fact, he brings it up once every Friday. Purely because I have Film class on Fridays.

"Will you give me a break? I'm a bad gay, I know!" I joke as we go into my kitchen and grab some snacks.

"How did you even participate in the discussion after the movie again?" He teased.

"Ugh. I said it was a great representation of the cliques and how they transcend the silver screen into our daily lives." I sighed. Lance loved that answer.

"Hahaha you totally pulled that out of your ass too!" He said as he took a bite from the apple in his hand.

"Yeah but it worked. Now can we talk about what I'm wearing tomorrow to the party?" I changed the subject.

"You're wearing AET colors. Duh!" Lance said without looking away from the apple as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ummm why?" I ask.

"To subtly tell put them at ease and earn points. Also so you don't stick out. Come on, I wanna watch a movie." Lance made so much sense all the time. I swear the guy was effortlessly dancing through life. He pulled me on the couch and we watched all the Alien films after which Lance gave me a hug goodbye and drove home.

I went up into my room and settled on wearing dark blue jeans with a red hoodie and my green boots. All of which Morgana bought for me. The boots were a birthday present. Her birthday; not mine.

When I arrived at the party, my heart was beating out of my chest. The whole day was a blur. I spent so much time researching the guys and reassuring myself that it wasn't a frat party so I don't have to worry as much. It was already in full swing by the time I showed up at 8. I could have sworn Arthur said it started at 9. I came early to I could leave early but now I guess either everyone had that thought or that I was not leaving anytime soon. Ke$ha's Take It Off was playing and everyone was getting really into the song. I could see that Arthur was in the middle of the living room dancing his cute ass off. He looked so perfect dancing in a gold tank top which was beginning to look more and more tight by the second.

Percy came up to me and handed me a drink. "Glad you made it Merlin. Don't worry, it's Sprite." He smiled at me before walking off to talk to some other people. I took a sip and walked around to get my bearings. So far the party was pretty much what I expected. I managed to stay invisible until Arthur found me in the back yard sitting by a fire pit.

"Hey! There you are!" Arthur said as he walked over.

"Yeah. I needed some air." I said. Here it is. The time to start being confident like we practiced.

"Yeah I know what you mean. It can get really stuffy in there with all those people." Arthur said as he sat down next to me. "So you enjoying the party?" he asked innocently while gathering some nearby wood.

"It's exactly what I expected." I said.

"Glad to have met your expectations." Arthur laughs. "Hey Gwaine can you start a fire while I go grab another beer?" Arthur shouts to the long haired guys who just came out to our area. Gwaine nods as Arthur gives me a pat on the back before walking towards the sliding glass doors. I was thankful that Gwaine didn't speak to me as he started the fire. It wasn't until he had it roaring that he finally spoke from the bench next to mine.

"So you're Merlin." He says without looking at me.

"Yep and you're Gwaine." I answer as I take a sip from my cup.

"You're wearing our colors." he points out.

"Oh? I didn't notice." I said.

"That's cute. You're trying to impress us."

"They're just clothes that happen to be the colors of your frat. Calm down." I said bravely.

"You've got attitude! I like that." Gwaine looks at me for the first time and I can tell I've won him over. Arthur finally comes back and as he sits down next to me, the other guys come pouring out after him. Within seconds I was sitting with the Knights and laughing at their jokes. The rest of the night goes by and by the time everyone else had left, I noticed that the guys have stayed fairly close to me in Arthur's absence.

A few hours after the last person left, I looked over the fire and straight into Percy's eyes. "Thanks for having me." I say indicating that I was ready to leave.

"Thank Arthur. He invited you." Mordred responds.

"In any case, thanks for not beating me up." I say.

"Do you look like the kind of guys who do that kind of shit?" Elyan asks.

"To be honest, I have no idea." I answer.

"We're not like other fraternities." Arthur chimes in. "At least not us five. We're the Knights after all." Everyone laughs at this. I get up and start to leave and that's when I notice they all stand as well and look over at Arthur. "Give me a second and I'll walk you." He says before disappearing into the house before I can say anything.

"Okay... Have a nice night guys. Thanks for having me again." I said as I made my way to the doors.

"Arthur is a nice guy Merlin." Gwaine says to me as I walk past him. I smile and nod at him before walking through the house. I almost made it to the front door when Arthur comes out of nowhere and pulls the front door open for me.

"Told you to give me a second." he jokes.

"It's cool. I can walk back on my own." I said.

"At 4 A.M.? I don't think so. Let's go." He didn't give up. I gave in and we walked the 6 blocks back to my house. I was surprised because I never told him where I lived yet he seemed to know every turn before we even made them. When we got to my front door, he looked at me funny.

"What's up?" I ask casually. The entire walk had been small talk. Mostly him asking me questions about my life but now he looked like he had other questions.

"Nothing. It's just... Never mind. Have a good night Merlin." He said as he came forward and gave me a hug. I thanked him for walking me home and entered my house before he saw how red my face was. I went to bed that morning dreaming about how good he smelt and how firm he felt in that hug. It was a perfect night and I couldn't wait to tell Lance all about it.


	3. What Is Going On!

The next day as Lance and I were having lunch, I told him everything about the party. He seemed very skeptical about the interactions. I had to assure him that everything was fine. I was bombarded with questions for almost an hour. Questions ranging from what I said to stuff and what were their faces like were all I heard from him. Lance seemed like he might let it slide but he was still very uncomfortable with me being at the party without him. When I told him that the guys seemed to like me, Lance leaned forward with a very serious expression. "Merlin, be honest with me. Do you like Arthur?" I was caught aback by the question. Did I like Arthur? Maybe. I definitely find him attractive and I really do stare at him quite a bit but I never really gave any thought into whether I liked him or not. Lance waited for my reply which never came. I just scoffed at him and silently berated myself for walking into his trap.

"Hey Lance just drop it. I went to a party. I had a little bit of fun. It's over." I mustered out as confidently as possible while trying to finish my parfait. Lance stares at me for a good minute then hands me his phone. It's a text from Gwaine. I had no idea they talked to each other. "What is this?" I laugh as I look at what he handed me.

_**Lancelot you need to keep a better grip on that delicious nerd of yours lest he fall into the dragon's den. **_

"What does this even mean?" I asked. What did he mean? Why am I feeling so flushed right now? Am I part of some sick game between Gwaine and Lance? ALSO WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS CALLING LANCE BY HIS FULL NAME?!

"It means you have to be careful around those boys." He answered simply then sat back in his seat before putting his phone away.

"Whatever Lance. I have to get to work." I got up and walked the block and a half to the café. Once I got in though, my thoughts came rushing in. It was a block and a half of silence. My mind was quiet and the thoughts where silenced but now, it was like a dam had been busted and the floodgate of feelings rushed right towards me relentlessly. It also didn't help that Arthur was sitting there in the corner with his laptop open. "Hey." I said to him as I walked past on the way to the back. He looked up with a smile on his adorable face and right then I knew my shift was going to be longer than usual.

It was all good until Arthur came up to the counter for a coffee. His favorite. A Mysterious Lover. His bright eyes and sterling smile was both an unwelcomed and welcomed sight. "Hey Merlin, how's it going?" He smiled and looked up at me.

"Do you want your usual?" I asked as I already grabbed a large cup and started writing his name.

"Ha. Yeah that'd be great! Hey listen, thanks for coming to that party by the way. The guys really liked you." His laugh really lit up the room and in that moment I knew I was in trouble.

"Yeah thanks for inviting me!" I said as made his drink. After I handed him his drink, I noticed that Gwaine had walked in. A smug look on his face as he spoke to Arthur before heading towards me. "What can I get you?" I asked without looking at him.

"A conversation. You have a break coming up and I have the answers you need." He said as he scrolled through his phone. I scoffed but nodded and he took a seat by the door never once looking back at me. When I finally walked over to him, he put his phone away and opened the door for me as we made our way out.

"Okay what do you want?" I asked.

"Hmmm. That attitude will get you nothing from me sir."

"You're right. Let's talk about your text to MY friend, LANCE."

"Fine. I guess we're getting to the chase." He rolled his eyes. "Listen sweetie, that delicious boy over there is the stuff of wet dreams. He really is. Arthur Pendragon makes girls swoon with ohhs and ahhs. He makes guys question their sexuality while working out next to him." He took a breath as he came closer to me. "But one thing that boy is not, is yours. I suggest you run back into Lancelot's big strong arms and continue you're little ill-fated romance. Are we understood?" He looked into my eyes and left me speechless. I nodded to him and watched him walk away before going back to work.

When my shift ended, I walked through all my feelings. Gwaine was right about something, Arthur isn't interested in me and he most definitely is not in my league. He's the most valued thing on our campus. Everyone wants him and I would have some serious competition. I have to get out before I get hurt. I have to right? The thought keeps pounding into my head and my heart all the way home. When I went to bed that night, things died down only to pick back up soon after.

The following day, Arthur walked up to me before class started. "Hey any chance you are free tonight?" A smile erupted across his dopey face when I nodded in his direction without looking up from my notes.

"Yeah what's up?" I asked.

"Gwaine is having a bonfire in his back yard and I need someone there to drink with."

"Uhh sure. I don't drink though."

"That's fine. We can find something else to do." He winked. Yeah Arthur Pendragon WINKED at me. After he went to his seat I finally looked up from my notes and realized that I basically said yes to another party and Lance was not going to be happy.

"Soooo? Wanna tell me why you agreed to yet another party with those boys?" Lance basically singsonged to me later that day.

"Ummm how did you know?" I asked sheepishly.

"Not important. Answer the question." He stared at me. I blinked and he smiled. "You like him don't you?"

"Wow! Lance you are so off base right now!" he didn't buy it. "Look, he asked if I was free. I was. What was I supposed to say? No?"

"I'm coming with you."

"But!"

"I. Am. Coming. With. You."

"Fine." I gave in. Having Lance there to watch over me might not be a bad idea. I mean what could it hurt? Right?

WRONG! Oh I was so wrong! The second we showed up to that party all eyes were on us. Every single girl tried to speak to Lance but he kept his mouth shut and his eyes on me. He was always in the same room as me and even though I had my space, every single time a guy approached me, Lance would shoo them away. "Hey!" Arthur gave me a head nod as he walked into the kitchen where I was currently occupying myself.

"Hey!" I smiled back.

"Glad you made it!" he smiled. God that smile!

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me." Before I could get another word out, Lance walked up to us.

"So Arthur, nice party."

"Thanks!"

"When is it starting?" Lance had a glint in his eyes.

"Umm it already started." Arthur laughs as he hands me a drink.

"Yeah not what I was referring to." Lance was closing the gap between us and I could see the tension building.

"Dude back off." Arthur's smile faded. He looked so sexy when he's serious.

"I will when you will." Lance stepped closer. This was it. The spark that ignited the fire. Seconds later, they were on the floor beating the lights out of each other. After about 30 minutes, we managed to break them up and separate them. Lance stormed off and I grabbed some ice for Arthur.

"I am SO sorry about that!" I meant it. As I gently placed the ice bag on Arthur's jaw, he took my hand in his.

"Ehh don't worry about it. I held my own."

"Yeah you did." I smiled.

"Thanks for the ice" he said as he held it to his jaw. I smiled back as I thought about his hand touching mine. The sensation of our skin touching made my heart flutter a bit. His hand was soft and cool to the touch while mine was burning with desire. I walked out to the fire pit and saw that everyone had left. Percy was sitting there feeding logs into the fire.

"Hey." He said weakly.

"Hey. Mind if I sit?" I asked. He shook his head and moved over a bit. I sat down and stared at the fire.

"How is he?" Percy kept his focus on the fire but his tone was gentle and genuine.

"He's fine. I gave him ice for his jaw."

"Thanks for taking care of him."

"No problem." I meant it.

"Gwaine wanted to strangle Lance. It took everything we had to talk him out of it."

"Thank you."

"Hey can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What's up?" He turned to face me.

"I need you to stop hanging out with Arthur. I know it's not fair to ask this but I don't think it's good for him." I nodded. Hanging out with Arthur only seemed to make things worse for both of us. I didn't need to be straight chasing and he didn't need to be beaten up by Lance.

The following day, I woke up to Lance sitting at my desk. "Umm hi?" I managed through my sleepy gaze.

"Hey." He said weakly.

"I'm not going to hang out with him anymore." I said simply.

"Thanks."

It's been two weeks and I have been giving Arthur the cold shoulder. Well really all I've done is tell him I was busy with classes and work. He kept a smile on that adorable face so I thought it was all good. Then the small favors came into play. First he wanted to borrow a pen. Then he needed notes from one chapter he missed. Next thing I knew, we were having study sessions in the library. Every single Tuesday night we sat at the corner study booth in the back of the library for hours. Talking, laughing studying. I knew it was wrong. I prosed to stay away, but I couldn't. I tried. It was one rainy night when we were laughing over some lame joke when I looked up into his eyes and he leaned in.

Our noses touched. Our breaths caught in our throats. I saw him close his eyes inhale. Before I knew it our lips met. For just a second everything slowed around me. My heart began pounding loud enough to be heard from across the room. His hands found their way to my chest. They busied themselves groping every inch of my upper body while I struggled for air. I gasped when my hands found themselves on his thighs. I couldn't control myself. He moaned into my mouth and before I knew it our tongues met in a flurry.

Then as suddenly as it began, everything came to a crashing halt. His phone rang and he clumsily answered it only to hang up and apologize before getting up and gathering his things. He left without a word and I was left wondering what had just happened. I touched my lips with my fingers as I replayed the event again and again. I was so giddy and euphoric I didn't hear Lance call me name. "MERLIN!" He shouted again. Closer this time.

"Huh?' I looked over to see his face as stern as I've ever seen it.

"Care to explain why I just say Arthur run out of here?"

"I think I like him." I answered in a daze still tracing my lips.

"And this is new information to who?" Lance crossed his arms.

"We kissed." I closed my eyes thinking about his lips.

"I'm sorry. YOU WHAT?!" Lance dropped his arms.

"His lips were so soft." I mused. Lance shook his head and turned his on his heels. He was almost outside the door when he spoke softly. I almost didn't hear him.

"Oh Merlin. If only you knew…"


End file.
